Alumni Success Stories

Alumni Success Stories

Many students who graduated from District 742 have continued on to make significant contributions and achieve high recognition in a variety of fields. Below you will find some of our talented alumni who have generously shared their stories with us.

Do you know a former student whose story is inspirational and a testament to the District 742 experience? Share it HERE!

Nicole Lavoi - Tech 1987

When it comes to young women in sports, St. Cloud Area School District 742 has a robust history. Starting in 1972, Peg Brenden became the first girl in the state to earn a letter for competing on a boys’ tennis team after arguing her rights in court and with the school district. Later that year, … Read more

Nate Nelson - Apollo 1998

Nate Nelson, a 1998 Apollo High School graduate, majored in history and minored in ancient Greek while attending St. John’s University. He loved history, but after graduation realized he didn’t want to teach the subject. Instead, he turned to his other passion, debate, and attended law school at the University of Minnesota to obtain his law … Read more

Sruthi Shankar - Tech 2014

The road to becoming a doctor for 2014 Tech High School graduate, Sruthi Shankar, has not been what she imagined. She’d been looking at colleges across the United States, always knowing she would attend medical school. However, that road changed in January of her senior year in high school. “My dad took a job offer … Read more

Melissa Huberty - Tech, 1989

Melissa Huberty, 1989 Tech High School graduate, knew as a teenager that she wanted to work with people with chemical dependency. During high school, Huberty connected with a lot of different students; she didn’t hang out with a particular clique. To her, it was all about relationships. “It’s easy to judge people that don’t have … Read more

Lymarie Jimenez - Apollo, 2000

Lymarie Jimenez has the ability to transport anyone to a dystopian future 200 years from now where the world is highly technologically advanced. This Apollo High School 2000 graduate and published author has the talent for capturing readers and taking them through the twists and turns of conspiracies and secrets. Her first published book, “Awaken” takes the reader … Read more

Lisa Dooley - Tech 2005

“Lights, camera, action!” are three words 2005 Tech graduate, Lisa Dooley, never thought she’d be saying. Yet her film, “Ben is Dead,” which she directed and wrote, opened at the Carmel International Film Festival in 2017 and was recently screened locally at the St. Cloud Film Festival. It all began when Dooley was studying to be a … Read more

Jerri Zhang - Apollo 2002

For 2002 Apollo grad, Jerri Zhang, writing and reporting quickly turned into a passion for the law. Zhang attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for both her undergraduate and law degrees, earning a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2006 and a Juris Doctor in 2009. It was during her work in journalism that a professor pulled her … Read more

Terin (Euerle) Sytsma - Tech, 2007

For 2007 Tech graduate, Dr. Terin (Euerle) Sytsma, medical education is what it’s all about. And the Mayo Clinic couldn’t be a better place to teach and learn about it. Long before working at Mayo, Sytsma began career planning while in high school. In fact, it was during her college and career preparation at Tech … Read more

Josh Kaler - Apollo, 1997

When you think of Nashville, it’s all about country music, honky-tonks, cowboy boots and Johnny Cash. What you may not know is that 1997 Apollo graduate, Josh Kaler, is all about Nashville. Recording artist, producer and songwriter of indie, pop and rock music, Josh is leaving his mark on Music City. Taking a year off … Read more

Todd Williams - Apollo, 1990

The saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it certainly echoes through the extraordinary work of 1990 Apollo graduate, Todd Williams. Williams is a professional photographer who has traveled the world photographing people and places. His clients have included Polaris, Victory Motorcycles, Indian Motorcycles, Vogue, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Nike, Gatorade and many … Read more

Alison Feigh - Apollo, 1996

Since her graduation from Apollo High School in 1996, Alison Feigh has made it her mission to educate the public on child safety. As an author, she’s written two books on child safety and as a program manager for the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center (JWRC), she travels speaking on the importance of child safety as … Read more

Justin Ploof - Tech, 2002

As Technical High School revs up to celebrate 100 years of tradition and excellence, 2002 graduate and professional musician, Justin Ploof, will be bringing in the band. Justin Ploof and The Throwbacks is a familiar name in central Minnesota. The band is one of the newest sensations on the music scene, especially since their original … Read more

Chris Jungels - Apollo, 2006

What’s a Marine’s dream job? How about becoming a part of the Marine One detail to the President of the United States? For 2006 Apollo graduate, Chris Jungels, that dream became an unexpected reality. As a recent Apollo High School graduate, Jungels remembers setting an appointment with the Air Force to learn about his military … Read more

Josh Hagemeister - Tech, 1989

Josh Hagemeister may have just become famous for being chosen as an official fishing guide to Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith for the Minnesota Fishing Opener, but he’s already held in high esteem as a Tech High School graduate of 1989. Hagemeister started his fishing guide business in high school. Dreaming of always owning a guide … Read more

Greg Klinefelter - Apollo, 1987

For police officer Greg Klinefelter, St. Cloud is in his blood. As a 1987 graduate of Apollo High School and St. Cloud State University graduate, the St. Cloud community is his home. Klinefelter looks back on Apollo with fond memories. “Back then, it was the modular system at Apollo, and it felt so different,” says … Read more

Jill McGuire - Apollo, 1987

If you’re looking to engineer something and send it into space, Jill McGuire is your person! McGuire, a 1987 graduate of Apollo High School, is a space robotics application office lead at NASA. She and her team, after completing their mission to design and send over 200 tools into space for the Hubble Space Telescope … Read more

Erin Saupe - Tech, 2003

Some Technical High School graduates head for the Olympics, others like Erin Saupe go on to become Oxford professors. Saupe, a 2003 Tech grad, recently crossed the ocean to become an associate professor of earth science at the University of Oxford. Her impressive education journey includes degrees from the College of St. Benedict, University of Kansas … Read more

Dan Mondloch - Apollo, 2001

He calls himself a third generation landscape painter and jokes that he is genetically expected to paint! His father and great-grandfather were landscape artists. Dan Mondloch, a 2001 graduate of Apollo, is well-known for his beautiful, award-winning, watercolor paintings. He’s been featured in PBS “Postcards,” SPLASH 17 book and Pleinair Magazine’s “PlenAir Collector.” Mondloch has … Read more

Laura Nelson Olmstead - Apollo, 1996

Apollo High School alumna Laura Nelson Olmstead always aspired to be a judge. Starting June 1, her dream is coming true. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton just appointed Nelson Olmstead, a ’96 Apollo graduate, to the Second Judicial District Court of Minnesota. Nelson Olmstead attributes much of her learning to her mentor, Honorable Judge Kathryn Quaintance … Read more

John Pederson - Apollo, 1977

John Pederson is an entrepreneur, inventor and graduate of Apollo High School, class of 1977. “Most people in the world see my inventions every day,” says Pederson. Those everyday inventions are in the form of police lights, security lights and architectural lighting. Pederson is the current CEO and Chairman of the Board for LVX Systems, … Read more

Alise Post - Tech, 2009

Alise Post is a 2009 Tech High School graduate who has hit the BMX world by storm. After making the USA Olympic team in 2012, she now is preparing for the 2016 Olympics to represent Team USA in Rio De Janeiro. BMX is short for bicycle motocross. The races usually entail steep curves and hills, … Read more

Shelby Hadley - Apollo, 1997

After two tours in Iraq and Bosnia, Shelby Hadley, a former McKinley Area Learning Center student and 1997 Apollo High School graduate, has found her passion and niche as a vocational rehabilitation specialist for the St. Cloud Veterans Hospital. Her primary responsibility is to assess veterans returning from deployment in order to transition them into … Read more